Books I Love

Showing Off My Fan-Girl Side

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

Today’s post is something of a continuation of my last post, but not by design. I originally intended to write about an entirely different topic, but I got side-tracked.

First, I’ll make a confession: I love writers. Whenever I get a chance to meet one—and I’ve met a good number of writers at book signings and conferences over the years—I get pretty giddy. Giddy in the same way some people get when they meet a Hollywood celebrity.

In my defense, I have shelves full of books that have earned the “keeper” designation. These are books I read and loved; most of them I’ve re-read several times; all of them touched me emotionally or conveyed a story that was so powerful I instantly wanted to run out and buy the author’s next book. Which brings me to author Lisa Wingate.

I’ll confess I’m a big fan of Lisa Wingate’s books. I read her novel Word Gets Around about seven years ago and enjoyed it so much I’ve been buying her books ever since. I never miss a new Lisa Wingate novel.

 

Word Gets Around

So I was glad to learn there are other Lisa Wingate fans out there just like me.

Today’s post on the Inspy Romance blog is all about Lisa Wingate and her books. In the post Lisa reveals a few hints about the novel she just finished writing (think World War I era), and she shares a link to her Pinterest site . . . plus many more little gems about her books and writing process.

I hope you’ll you’ll head over to the Inspy Romance blog and check out her interview. Maybe you’ll become a Lisa Wingate Fan-girl, too!

 

The book I’ll read this weekend is . . .

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

Don’t you love it when you learn one of your favorite authors has a new book available?

Regina Scott is one of my favorite authors. I first began reading her historical romances at least fifteen (or more!) years ago.

Some of her stories are light-hearted and fun; some have an element of suspense. No matter the plot or premise, I can always count on an entertaining read.

So I was pleased to learn Harlequin Love Inspired has published her latest novel, His Frontier Christmas Family.

Cover_His Frontier Christmas Family

It’s book seven in Regina’s Frontier Bachelor series, but it’s a great book that stands alone … no need to read previous books in the series to enjoy this one.

Britt Reads Fiction (my go-to site for book reviews) just posted a five-star review of His Frontier Christmas Family, and I’ve already pegged it as the book I plan to cozy up with this weekend to help get me in the Christmas spirit. I’m so looking forward to reading it!

I have a few more Christmas-themed novels to read in the days leading up to Christmas, but Regina Scott’s books stand out for me as some of my favorite all-time reads.

How about you? Is there an author whose books you never fail to read and enjoy?

 

Short Stories by Grace Livingston Hill

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ 2 Comments

If you’re a fan of Grace Livingston Hill, you may know a lot about her life and her books. I thought I did; and I thought I’d read all her books. For proof I have a good collection of her vintage hard-backs on my bookshelves at home.

But something I didn’t realize until recently was how much Grace wrote for magazines and newspapers.

For years she wrote a weekly newspaper column dedicated to the Christian Endeavor movement.

Evening Star Jul 11 1903
Grace’s byline in 1903. From her regular column in the Washington, D.C. newspaper, Evening Star.

She also wrote short stories and serialized books for a number of different magazines.

I came across a couple of those old magazine issues not too long ago; and once I began to read Grace’s short stories, I knew I had to find more. I’ve been on a mission to find her stories ever since.

It’s tough going. Magazines from about 1900 to 1910 (when Grace was at the height of her short-story production) are hard to find. And some of the magazines she wrote for went out of business  long ago—their records ending up who-knows-where.

But I’ve been faithfully searching for those old magazines and I’ve had some success.

And each time I find a new story by Grace Livingston Hill, I realize what a gem it is and I have to share it!

I’ve reproduced some of her short stories on the Isabella Alden blog. You can click on the images to read the stories for free:

Beginning at Jerusalem Cover

Hazel Cunninghams Denial

You can also find a collection of some of Grace’s early short stories in Faith and Love. It’s a compilation of stories by Grace and by her mother, Marcia Livingston. The book is available on Amazon.com. You can click on the link to learn more and read an excerpt.

Cover_Story Collection

I hope you enjoy reading these hard-to-find gems as much I did!

Isabella Alden and the Pansy Books

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

Almost two years ago a friend and I were scouring used bookstores and the Internet, looking for books by our favorite Christian author, Isabella Alden. We’d been sharing her books for years, texting each other with “Guess what I just found?” whenever we came across a title we hadn’t read before.

The Randolphs
Original cover of The Randolphs by Isabella Alden

You may have heard of Isabella. She wrote hundreds of short stories and novels in the late 1800s and early 1900s, all centered around God’s message of salvation.

Sadly, her books fell out of fashion in the early 1920s and since then, she’s been known mostly as the favorite aunt of author Grace Livingston Hill.

Those readers who have heard of her often think she wrote only children’s stories. It’s true that she did write quite a few of those, but her novels for adults are the books my friend and I treasure.

Isabella Alden had a wonderful way of applying God’s word to the lives of her characters; and in each story , she demonstrated how relevant God’s word was then, and how relevant it is to me now. By the time I finish reading one of her books, I am amazed at the love God has for me; and I realize how my actions can influence someone else for Christ (a regular theme in Isabella’s books).

Original cover for Wise and Otherwise by Isabella Alden
Original cover for Wise and Otherwise by Isabella Alden

Isabella Alden’s books are thought provoking; they inspire me to consider my choices, think about my actions, and strive to be a better Christian.

By now you may be asking yourself: Can a book really do all those things or has Jenny gone just a wee bit over the deep end? My answer: Yes, a book can really do those things. Oh, yes. It can.

And Isabella’s books are proof of how inspiring a work of fiction can be.

That’s why it became important for us to find a way of preserving her books and making them available to today’s reader. My friend and I pooled our copies and started publishing Isabella Alden’s novels as e-books.

We started a website (www.IsabellaAlden.com) to share her books, and to chronicle Isabella’s life and the times. You can view the website by clicking here.

I hope you’ll take a few moments to visit the site. Check out the Free Reads tab where you’ll find a selection of Isabella’s books and short stories.

If you enjoy the stories you find there, please help us spread the word about Isabella Alden and her inspiring Christian books.

An Empty Cup by Sarah Price

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

My last post was 2 months ago, so where have I been? Working. Just working. It’s been a tough few months at my full-time job, mostly because the full-time turned into all-time. I’m talking twelve-to-fourteen hour days, six days a week, whine, whine, whine.

It’s a good feeling to finally emerge from the tunnel into the light. And now that I’m back to regular work days and my weekends are my own, I know exactly how I’m going to spend my newly-found leisure time: Leisuring. (If that’s not a real word, it should be.)

Cover_An Empty CupI have some writing of my own to do if I’m going to finish my next book this year (I’m way behind in my daily writing goals), and I’ve collected an impressively tall to-be-read pile that I’m ready to dive into.

Drum roll, please.

I just figuratively reached my hand into that electronic TBR pile and this is the book I selected to read first. It’s nice to be back in the real world!

Attracted to Fire by DiAnn Mills

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

Cover DiAnn Mills Attracted to FireWork is crazy. Actually, my day job schedule has been pretty wild for the last couple months, and today it has me traveling.

I just settled into my Baltimore hotel room after a long day of airports, rental cars, and work meetings. My only plan for the night: get into bed and read Attracted to Fire by DiAnn Mills. Her stories have it all: thrilling suspense, strong heroines, and wonderfully romantic endings.

Just opened the cover . . . I am officially off duty and ready to step into DiAnn’s world!

Unlikely Praise by Carla Rossi

~ Writer Jenny Berlin ~ Leave a comment

I’m currently reading Unlikely Praise by Carla Rossi. I read the first two pages on Amazon (don’t you love the “Look Inside” feature?) and I was hooked! Carla’s flawed but lovable characters and her writing style captured me immediately. I can’t wait to find out what happens. How will Candi and Shade get together when they have absolutely nothing in common?

IMG_0631

Here’s a link if you’d like to check out Unlikely Praise: http://amzn.to/17gekIs